Gladhand construction

ABSTRACT

A gladhand containing a valve automatically closing its outlet and having a portion extending through the outlet for automatic opening upon engagement with a cooperating gladhand construction.

I United States Patent [72] Inventors Arthur A. Berg [56] References Cited 6719 N. Leroy Ave., Lincolnwood, Ill. UNITED STATES PATENTS 60645- 214,334 4/1879 Westinghouse l37/614.04X ("R Heldelberg. 402,300 4/1889 Campbell 137/6l4.04 g 5mm 3,383,085 5/1968 Vielmo 251 /149.5

ermany [21] .AppL 742,341 7 FOREIGN l A TENTS [22] Filed July 3,1968 715,531 9/1954 Great Britain 251/1496 [45] Patemed 1971 Primary Examiner-Robert G. Nilson Attorney-Parker, Carter & Markey [54] G-LADHAND CONSTRUCTION 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl l37/6l4.04 [51] -lnt.Cl F16l37/28 ABSTRACT: A gladhand containing a valve automatically [50] Field of Search 137/614, closing its outlet and having a portion extending through the outlet for automatic opening upon engagement with a cooperating gladhand construction.

I tion with ease.

specification and drawings.

A gladhand construction incIuding a .housing, a passage therethrough having an inlet and outlet, at valve movableinto outlet-closing position in response to separation of the gladhand from engagement with a'cooperatingconstruction and in response to fluid pressure enteringsaid inlet, the'valve having aportion extending through the outlet for automatic movement of the valve to open position up'o'nengagement with a corresponding gladhand to open the passage. The valve, in preferred form, is a differential piston shuttle wherein the larger-piston area is continuously exposed to pressure at said inlet, automatic closure of the valveupon separation of the gladhands serving to sealthe outlet, and maintain it sealed, against escape of'fiuid pressure. i. 3

' The invention relates to connectors and particularly to gladhand connectors employed in vehicle airbrake systems. Sets of gladhand connectors are carried for exam'ple, by the tractor and the trailer of a tractor-trailer combination vehicle. The gladhand connectors are mated, in known manner, by placing one upon the other and rotating them to'engage cooperating camming surfaces effective'to draw the two connectors into airtight relationship.

One purpose of the invention is to provide a gladhand connector which, upon separation from'its mate, provides an automatic seal against the escape of system air from the connector. I

Another purpose is to provide a gladhand connector capable of scaling, in its free state, an air pressure system of substantial pressure while permitting the disengagement of such seal and engagement with a cooperating gladhand construc- Another purpose is to provide a gladhand connector having means automatically sealing the samea gainst loss of air when the connector is disengaged and so 'constructed as to permit the mating of the same with an identical gladhand connector by minimum manual force. f 1

Another purpose is to; provide a gladhand construction which can be mated withan identical construction, each of the mated constructions being effective tosealthe. system with which it is associated upon separation of said constructions.

Another purpose is to provide anautomatically Sealed gladhand construction of maximum simplicity and effectiveness.

Other purposes will appear from timeto time during the course ofthe specification and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 2-2 ofFlG. 1.

Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT deck 2 and secured thereto by any suitable means, such as the fasteners}, is a first camming element}. Extending from deck 2 forwardly from element 4, is a second camming element 5. A passage 6 is formed in housing 1 and has an inlet 7 communicating therewith. An outlet 8 extends through deck portion 2and carries therein the circular member 9. Member 9 has an extemalannular surface 10 surrounding and overlying the outlet 8 and an internal annular surface 11 surrounding and underlying 'theoutlet 8. The seal member 9 has an axial aperture 12 communicating with a chamber 13 with which passage 6 communicates, as indicated at 14.

The chamber 13 is closed at its lower end, as the parts are shownin the drawings, by a-bushing or cup element 15, a seal ring 16 being provided'to seal against the escape of fluid pressure from chamber 13. The circumferential inner wall of chamber 13 is provided with lands and :grooves intermediate its ends, as indicated at 17. Grooves alignedwith passage 6-are.

open to constitute slots.

Slidable in chamber 13 is a differential piston valve member or shuttle valve 20. A yielding means 21 urgesthe member toward the seal 9 andoutlet passage 12 therein. The member 20 has a first or lower pistonportion 22 carryinga seal 23 in continuous engagement with the inner circumferential ,wall surface of the bushing member 15. A reduced central portion 24 extends between smaller piston portion 22 and the largerdiameter piston portion 25 which in turn carries the circum-. ferential seal 26'inengagement with-the innercircumferential wall of chamber 13.

Formed on valve member 20 and extending therefrom throughthe outlet passage l2-of'seal-9 and in circumferentially spaced relationship therewith is a finger or'extend- .ing portion 27. It will be observed that the portion 27 extends beyond annular external surface 10 of seal member 9 and thus beyond deck surface 2.

Whereas there has been shown and described an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this-showing and descriptionare to be taken in anillustrative or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications in and to the invention which will be apparent to those skilled in the art and which willfall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

With e gladhand construction of the invention in its free or disco ected I state, as shown in the drawings herein, the fluid pressure of the airbrake system (not shown) communicating with inlet 7 is present in chamber 13 about the reduced portion 24 of valve member 20 and acts against the larger undersurface of piston portion 25 to urge the valve into its closed position as shown. Said pressure, which may be-of the order of p.s.i., also acts against the smaller, upper, annular surface, as the parts are shown, of the smaller piston portion 22. The differential in said piston portions, however, in conjunction with theaction of. relatively light spring 21 retains the valve in the closed position shown.

In addition to the seal provided by ring 26 against the solidupper wall surface of chamber 13, as shown in FIG. 2. the valve member 20 carries an external valve seat configuration 28 which contacts and seals against-the annular undersurface ll of seal member 9, serving as a. secondary seal against escape of air from the gladhand construction of the invention,

. and a safety factor against leakage therefrom, when the gladhand is separated from its mate.

1 It will be understood that pairs of identical. gladhand constructions are conveniently provided in normal use. When the construction of the invention is to be connected with its identical counterpart, the operator places the other gladhand construction onto that shown in the drawings'herein. .In so doing, the corresponding fingers or extending portions 27 will be brought into contact with each other and the operator will press the housings 1 together thereby moi/ing the valve members 20 in a direction inwardly ,of the two housings and will engage cammingelements 4 and 5 and rotate, relatively, the two gladhands, separating the valve faces 28 from seal surfaces L1 and aligning seals 26 with the lands and grooves 17, thereby providing communication through passages 6, slots andv grooves 17 and outlet passages 12.

Since the pressures within the systems are also operating against the smaller piston surfaces of the valve members of the two constructions and the spring 21 is relatively light, itwillhe realized that the members 20 maybe pressed inwardly with case even though the fluid pressures present .in chambers 13 may be of the-order of I00 p.s.i. The gladhandssare rotatedtoengage camming elements 4 and S and seal surfaces lfland I thus to drawthe gladhands into sealed engagement.

When the gladhands are separated, as for example when .a trailer is separated :from a tractor, the valvemembers 20 are moved immediately and automatically into closed position.

Spring 21 insures movement of seal 26 toward the solid upper wall of chamber 13 and fluid pressure in passage 6, now beneath the annular undersurface of piston 25, moves valve 20 rapidly into the closed position shown in FIG. 2. Thus it is virtually impossible for the gladhand construction of the invention to result in the loss of any substantial air from the fluid pressure brake systems with which it is associated. The double seal function created by the seal 26 and the contact of valve face 28 with the undersurface 11 of the seal 9 formed of flexible material insures against the loss of air pressure from the gladhand through the outlet passage 12 in the seal 9, while seals 23 and 16 preclude the loss of fluid pressure through or alongside bushing member 15.

We claim:

1. A gladhand construction having an inlet, an outlet and a passage communicating said inlet and outlet, a shuttle valve in said passage, said shuttle valve having a portion extending outwardly through and beyond said outlet, said shuttle valve being in the form of a differential piston member having a first larger piston portion, a second smaller piston portion and a reduced central portion therebetween, a first circumferential seal carried by said first piston portion, a second circumferential seal carried by said second piston portion, said reduced central portion, piston portions and circumferential seals being exposed to inlet pressure at all positions of said shuttle valve, said larger piston portion and first circumferential seal controlling communication through said passage between said reduced portion and said outlet, said shuttle valve being urged in its free state into a position closing said outlet in response to fluid pressure entering said inlet.

2. The structure of claim 1 characterized by and including an annular seal member carried in said outlet, said valve extending portion extending through said seal member in spaced relationship therewith, said first circumferential seal engaging an inner wall of said construction to seal said outlet when said valve is an and immediately adjacent its outlet closing position, said larger piston portion carrying an annular valve face end configuration in position to contact said annular seal member to further seal said outlet when said valve is in said outlet closing position.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterized by and including land-and-groove conformations positioned in said passage for alignment with said larger piston portion and said first circumferential seal when said shuttle valve is out of said outlet closing position. 

1. A gladhand construction having an inlet, an outlet and a passage communicating said inlet and outlet, a shuttle valve in said passage, said shuttle valve having a portion extending outwardly through and beyond said outlet, said shuttle valve being in the form of a differential piston member having a first larger piston portion, a second smaller piston portion and a reduced central portion therebetween, a first circumferential seal carried by said first piston portion, a second circumferential seal carried by said second piston portion, said reduced central portion, piston portions and circumferential seals being exposed to inlet pressure at all positions of said shuttle valve, said larger piston portion and first circumferential seal controlling communication through said passage between said reduced portion and said outlet, said shuttle valve being urged in its free state into a position closing said outlet in response to fluid pressure entering said inlet.
 2. The structure of claim 1 characterized by and including an annular seal member carried in said outlet, said valve extending portion extending through said seal member in spaced relationship therewith, said first circumferential seal engaging an inner wall of said construction to seal said outlet when said valve is an and immediately adjacent its outlet closing position, said larger piston portion carrying an annular valve face end configuration in position to contact said annular seal member to further seal said outlet when said valve is in said outlet closing position.
 3. The structure of claim 1 characterized by and including land-and-groove conformations positioned in said passage for alignment with said larger piston portion and said first circumferential seal when said shuttle valve is out of said outlet closing position. 